Abstract
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>Fakers offers a gripping, behind-the-scenes account of Britain’s covert propaganda operations during the Cold War. Drawing on over 8,000 declassified files, it uncovers the secret world of the Information Research Department (IRD), a shadowy unit within the Foreign Office that waged a global campaign of black propaganda to counter Soviet influence and preserve Britain’s waning imperial power. At the heart of the story is Hans Welser—an Austrian refugee, former MI5 suspect, and great survivor—who rose to become Foreign Office special operations adviser, working hand-in-glove with MI6. Alongside him was a cast of eccentric characters: ex-journalists, trailblazing women, and literary misfits operating from the diplomats’ attic. Together, they forged documents, created phantom organizations, and manipulated the press. Some plots were comically absurd, others dangerously controversial. They impersonated everything from hippies and ghosts to Islamists and ballet composers in their campaign to smear hostile politicians and stir tensions among adversaries from Africa to Southeast Asia. The book explores the ethical dilemmas, bureaucratic rivalries, and consequences of these operations, all of which took place against a high-stakes backdrop: overseas, states competed beneath the looming threat of nuclear war, whilst at home grey-suited bureaucrats stalked the corridors of power keen to shut the team down for good. With sharp analysis and vivid storytelling, Fakers is a timely and unsettling exploration of how propaganda works.</jats:p>